The women of the Charis Missionary Church in Tembisa, Ekurhuleni, South Africa were preparing food for the homeless in the church when they were told to take everything they could and move outside.
Then they stood helplessly and watched as roaring bulldozers turned their church into rubble on Monday.
The church Pastor Jerry Makananisa said he was called by women at the church who told him that the church was being demolished.
"I rushed there and found that the sides of the church had already been demolished," Makananisa said.
The Metro police came back the next day and they demolished what was left of the church building.
The angry pastor said: "The municipality has no respect for God. They don't want churches in this area. "This church has been here for more than 13 years.
"Why don't they demolish taverns?"
"Kids are raped every day in shebeens – but the municipality doesn't close them down," he said.
The congregation now has to hire tents to hold services.
Not too far away, another church was demolished on Friday.
Pastor France Nkwane of the Dynamic International Ministries said they had been occupying that land for 11 years.
They got a letter telling them to move out by the end of the week.
"They didn't even offer us an option to buy or time to look for another place," Nkwane said.
The Community Family Church in Tembisa was also demolished last week and all that is left of it is the foundation slab and the service notice board.
Source - Daily sun
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